Specters of the Past
by Backbeat the Wrecker
Summary: Not much is known about the Transformers' history. In this story, we shall investigate one 'Bot in particular. Experience his life as he grows from sparkling to adult. This is Ratchet's story. Warning: If you do not like extreme differences from the show (eg. Ratchet as a Seeker), close OC involvement, or strange pairings, please do not read this story. Rated T for Future Chapters
1. Prologue

**AN: I have had this plot bunny in my head for a long time now, and I'm finally deciding to publish it. This is just the prologue, and it's very short. I assure you, the next chapter will be much longer.  
I do not own anything recognizable. My OC's belong to me.**

* * *

_When something is created, it is a brilliant time for those who brought it into existence,_ thought Firewall pleasantly as she watched her sparkmate, Haywire, place the finishing touches on the small frame of their new mechling. Her six-orn old son, Whiplash, watched in awe as his little brother slowly booted up for the first time.

The sparkling let loose a piercing wail, instantly putting Firewall into carrier mode. She snatched the bundle from her mate and brought him inside, planning to give him some warm energon from the dispenser.

"Hush, little one. Please, you'll be fine, I promise," she comforted as she walked down the hallway. When she came to the dispenser, Firewall pushed the button for low-grade. After that, she ran it beneath a solar heater, warming it instantly. The mechling took the cube eagerly and started swallowing the energon, growing more wearied with each sip.

Finally, Firewall hefted him into her servos and took him to his quarters, where she placed him on a sparkling-sized berth, before turning off the lights and leaving the room.

"Good night, Ratchet."

* * *

**Please no flames, as this is my first story. How do you like it? Do you have any suggestions? I will be bringing in another OC in the next chapter, and finally my main OC in the one after that. Next chapter is when it starts to get interesting (and a bit weird), trust me.**


	2. Paradise

**I do not own anything recognizable. My OC's belong to me.**

**The title of the chapter is taken from "Paradise" by Coldplay.**

* * *

Rain spattered the walkway, drenching all those without some sort of protection. The acidic substance burned all Cybertronians but Seekers, seeing as they had to be able to fly in the precipitation. For this reason, Ratchet loved the rain. It chased annoying Grounders away, making it peaceful on the streets of Praxis.

"Carrier! Carrier! Can I please go out and play in the rain? _Please?_" the mechling pleaded, wings high in anticipation. Firewall glanced down at him and couldn't prevent a smile from reaching her lip plating. "Alright, but you have to take Flatline with you," she told him. Ratchet's wings immediately drooped down. "But Carrier, he's so _annoying!_" he whined. The femme merely raised a servo, cutting off any protests. "You will take your little brother with you, or you will not leave the complex at all."

The red and white Seeker pouted for a short while, but eventually ran off to find his brother. Together they scampered outside, stomping in puddles and trying to taste the rain with their glossas.

"Hey Ratch'!" called Flatline, "Look! I'm a scary Quintesson! _Boo!_" he growled, baring his denta. Ratchet burst out laughing and started flicking his tongue out between his denta. "Me too!"

Finally, the rain stopped falling and the sun came out, bathing the planet in a comforting glow. It was getting late, so the young bots went inside.

"How are my champion flyers?" came a voice. The Seekers in question cheered and ran up to their sire, hugging him tightly. He and their elder brother, Whiplash, had been looking at altmodes, but they hadn't found anything yet.

"Hey you mechs, the energon is ready!" called Firewall playfully. Ratchet raced into the consumption quarters and grabbed his energon, downing it in one gulp. "Thanks Carrier! Well, off to the berth now, bye!" he called as he ran up the stairs, Flatline not far behind. Firewall just shook her helm, an amused grin on her faceplate.

"So Ratch, are we gonna stay up late tonight?" asked Flatline. Ratchet glanced at his little brother, whose optic shutters and wings were drooping wearily. "Nah, not tonight," he finally replied, earning a sigh of relief from Flatline before he fell on his faceplate. He was recharging before he hit the berth.

Ratchet smiled warmly at his little brother, then crawled onto his berth and offlined his optics, preparing to go into power down.

* * *

"Do I have to go, Carrier?" whined Flatline as Firewall gave him his mid-day energon cube, preparing to send him off to the Academy for the day.

"Of course, dear," she said. "If you don't get an education, you will never be anything when you grow up. You'll be just like those homeless bots out on the streets, begging for energon scraps and credits."

Flatline hung his helm and pouted, but he knew when he was defeated. "Alright."

Ratchet glanced over at his brother and shifted his weight impatiently. Finally, the mechling was ready. The younglings waved goodbye to their creators, then ran out the door and onto the sidewalk. Unfortunately, the Academy was a good half a hic away from their home, so they had quite a ways to walk.

In the distance Ratchet could make out two ominous figures waiting for them at the top of the hill, and his wings sank low as he realized who they were. "Scrap. It's Nuclear and Hydro," he hissed to Flatline, who shrank back in response.

Together, the Seekers slowly approached the bullies. They went rigid as they passed between them; but, as was the inevitable outcome, they were halted.

"Hey, I was wondering if I could ask you for a _favor_," sneered Hydro as he stepped in front of Ratchet. He was at least three orns older, and was as such much larger. "I forgot to bring some energon, could I borrow yours?" he asked, "I'm sure _you_ don't need it, you're small enough as it is. I bet your morning energon will keep you full until we go back home!"

Ratchet narrowed his optics and shook his helm stubbornly. Suddenly he heard movement behind him, then a gasp of pain. He whirled around to see Nuclear holding Flatline up by his wings, a painful hold for any winged Cybertronian.

"Let him go!" cried Ratchet, but Nuclear only responded by shaking the youngling around, causing him to whimper in pain. "Give us the cube and we'll leave you alone," growled Hydro, all traces of his façade gone.

Ratchet's wings quivered, then they drooped as he retrieved the cube from his subspace. _Why should you listen to them?_ a sudden voice growled in the Seeker's processor. He dropped the energon cube in panic, then listened harder for the voice, but it was gone. A quick glance at Hydro's face showed that he was boring quickly, becoming impatient for the cube. Ratchet looked at the cube, then at Flatline, who was struggling to keep another wail from slipping past his lip plates. Finally, he made his decision.

"No."

Hydro looked at him, startled. "What?"

Ratchet faced him and fixed his gaze on the other bot's optics. "I said, 'No.'"

The other mechling widened his optics, then growled. He lunged for Ratchet, grabbing his chassis and pinning him to the ground. "That's it!" he snarled before raining down punches on the young Seeker.

Ratchet shuttered his optics tight, waiting out the pain. He couldn't keep the wail in, however, when Hydro landed a well-aimed slam into his wings. Ratchet screamed in agony as he felt the metal of his wing dent beneath Hydro's servo. In that moment, something inside the mechling snapped. He felt stronger, faster. His optics turned an intense shade of green, and a single mindset invaded his processor: send the slaggers to the Pit.

Hydro gasped as Ratchet pushed him off, then rose to his pedes. The Seeker approached the winded mechling and grabbed him by the neck cables, bringing his faceplate close to his own. "I swear on the _Pit_, if you do not leave _right now_, I will _personally_ see to your destruction. Now leave my brother alone and get _out_ of here. Do you understand?" he growled in a dark voice.

Hydro nodded his helm quickly, then grunted as Ratchet released him. He and Nuclear scrambled away as fast as they could, eager to escape. "We will tell the others about this!" called Nuclear over his shoulder pad, optics wide with fear, "You'll be even more of a misfit than you already are!"

Ratchet rolled his optics, then walked over to his brother and helped him up, his optics having returned to their normal azure color. Flatline stared at him in awe, but was nonetheless grateful that they would no longer be bothered. "Thanks," he murmured, earning a nod from Ratchet. The latter nodded, then continued walking. "Let's just get to the Academy."

* * *

**AN: Well, there you go! It's kind of short, but in the next chapter I will be bringing in my main OC (Ratchet's cousin). Did you like the "Power Mode" thing? It's related to the synth-en incident. The synthetic energon activated the mode and made it unstoppable and even more uncontrollable than it already is (until the energon was gone). By the way, a hic is the same as a kilometer.**


	3. This Is War

**Well, here I go. Sorry I haven't updated for so long! I'd like to thank BookLovingPersonR.L.B and Answerthecall for the reviews, you guys really motivated me to update. ^^ Anyways, I noticed that there is actually a Decepticon named Flatline (all the good names are taken -_-), but I'm going to keep his name. I'm not going to include the canon Flatline, so I don't think there should be any problem.**

**I don't own anything other than my OC's.**

**The title was inspired by 30 Seconds to Mars's song, This is War.**

* * *

_"Citizens of Kaon, I stand before you now and pledge my allegiance, my faith in our cause. The High Council shall be no more!"_

Backbeat groaned as she switched through the limited selection of channels on the television. Nothing but Megatronus's speeches were on. It wasn't that she disliked him, no - her aunt and uncle supported him, seeing as they were gladiators - but she wanted to watch something entertaining, not some big shot preaching to the world.

Pedesteps sounded behind her, and she turned around to see her cousin. He raised an optic ridge at the television, then sat down beside her.

"So," he began, "Megatronus is finally taking a stand, huh?"

"Yup."

"And my creators support him."

"Yup."

"I see."

"Yup."

"Are you even listening?"

"Nope."

Ratchet frowned, his wings flattening to his back, but he eventually just rolled his optics and left the room. "By the way," he called, "Flatline will be home soon, so don't forget to get him some energon!"

Backbeat just waved a servo, fully intending _not_ to do what he just asked of her, whatever it was. "Sure. Right."

* * *

_"…A close comrade of the Council has been found deactivated this cycle in his home. Law enforcers are currently inspecting the evidence, but no charges have been filed. The victim's name has not been released yet…"_

Backbeat glanced at her cousins worriedly. In just the past two quartexes, at least five associates with the High Council had been murdered, with no trace of the culprit. It was causing panic to rise amongst many of the upper class, as well as some of the lower classes. It was rumored that even the Council was nervous, worried that _they_ were next.

Suddenly the channel switched to something unexpected for all three bots: Crystal City. Ratchet leaned forward in his seat, a look of awe and surprise on his faceplate.

"Is that…Omega Supreme?" Flatline gasped, earning a nod from his brother.

Backbeat swallowed nervously. "Guys…Look."

On the television, an updated image of Crystal City had appeared. Except…it didn't look like Crystal City. The city was…gone. The skyscrapers: toppled, the gardens: trampled, everything: destroyed.

_"I am reporting live on what is sure to be the largest recorded massacre in all of Cybertronian history! The last Sentinel has fallen to - what's this? The…Decepticons?"_

Ratchet leapt out of his seat. "Decepticons? That's what Megatronus named his new faction, remember? Carrier and Sire joined him, along with a bunch of other gladiators and Seekers!" he exclaimed. Backbeat nodded vigorously. "But why would they destroy Crystal City?"

"To prove a point," Flatline said. Suddenly Backbeat remembered their friends in the city. "What about the others? Wheeljack, Percy, Flareup, and Pyro?" she fretted, optics wide.

Ratchet and Flatline shared a startled look, before muttering, "scrap" to themselves. Ratchet approached his cousin and put a servo on her shoulder pad. "Don't worry 'Beat, I'm sure they're fine. Percy would have gotten everyone out of there. Besides, they're resilient," he said. "They gotta be, with Wheeljack blowing everything up all the time."

Backbeat chuckled at that fact. It made it all the funnier that it was _true_. "You're right…I'm sure they're fine."

* * *

When they arrived in the once-great city, they could barely recognize it. The crystal spires were gone, leaving nothing but ruins.

Ratchet, Flatline, and Backbeat walked among the rubble, shakily avoiding the servos and other frame parts littered over the field. Finally, they arrived at the Scientific Discoveries Center, where their friends worked.

"Let's hope someone saw them," Ratchet muttered worriedly as he looked at what was left of the former research center.

"Hey! You!" called Backbeat, causing a mech to turn around and give her a quizzical look. Finally, after much servo waving on Backbeat's part, he approached.

The mech, and Autobot, was blue and white, with a little bit of red. He towered over the three Seekers. On his back strut he carried a large hammer, and his optics seemed to carry a glint of hardness someone as young as him should not have known; but, they also held a sparkle of mischief, instantly marking him as a Wrecker.

"Ultra Magnus," Backbeat greeted him with a grin. Magnus smiled back and glanced at her cousins. "Ratchet. Flatline," he said with a nod.

"Have you seen-" started Backbeat, but Magnus cut her off.

"Your friends are over there, in the sanctuary."

Backbeat cast him a grateful look. "Thanks."

"No problem."

* * *

"Jackie!" Backbeat called as she ran up to her friend. Wheeljack smiled and embraced her warmly. "Glad to see you guys came to check on us," he said.

"Why wouldn't we?" Ratchet asked as he walked up beside his cousin.

"Because some city-states are issuing bans against flight by Seekers," came a voice. Ratchet turned around to see Perceptor walk up with an unreadable expression on his faceplate. "Seekers are the main attackers in the terrorist attacks, therefore the Council is acting out against them."

Flatline growled. "Why? It's not like _all_ the Seekers are in on it!" he said angrily, earning a nod from his elder brother. "We can't do anything about it, though," he snarled.

"You're right."

Flatline and Ratchet jumped as Pyro appeared beside them, twisting a small device on his servo. "Ha! I got you! That was _hilarious!"_

Flareup came up from behind and shot a glare at the young bot, before walking over to Wheeljack. "Pyro, that's rude," she said blatantly, earning a "duh" look from the youngling. "That's why I did it!" he protested.

Wheeljack snorted, then yelped as Perceptor smacked the back of his helm. "What?" he asked, but Perceptor only rolled his optics.

"So what are you guys going to do now?" Backbeat asked Perceptor hesitantly. Fortunately, Wheeljack was ready with an answer.

"We're joining the Autobots. Magnus said the Wreckers have some spots open, so we're gonna try that out. We'll be under his big bro's command," he said.

Flatline growled and stepped forward. "Really? You're joining up with those _monsters?_ If we tried to join 'em, we'd be thrown out like yester-cycle's scrapmetal! And you wanna know _why?_ 'Cause we fraggin' _fly!"_ he ranted.

Pyro reached out and lay a servo on his friend's shoulder pad. "Calm down, Flatline. Kup's a good bot. He was best friends with your big bro - remember? Besides, I'm sure Prime wouldn't hold anything against ya for bein' a flyer!"

Flatline shrugged the servo off an turned away. "Whatever. I'm goin' back home. Come back when you want." He transformed and flew away, not even bothering to say a proper farewell.

Ratchet glanced after his brother, then turned to Perceptor and the others. "We should be going now, I don't want to get back only to see the Flatline has done something stupid," he said. Perceptor nodded and gave a "shooing" action, telling him to go on.

"Glad to know you guys are alright!" called Backbeat as she transformed and flew after her brother.

* * *

**I have a bunch of chapters done, so I will probably be posting three more chapters.**

**As you have probably noticed, the chapters aren't really related by much. They will be in the correct order, but they will not have very close time frames (most of the time).**


	4. Iridescent

**I know this one's short, but I hope you enjoy it.**

**I only own my OC's.**

**Pharma and Ratchet shared a childhood with Perceptor and Wheeljack. They used to be best friends.**

**The title and chapter were inspired by Linkin Park's song, Iridescent (their song for Transformers: Dark of the Moon!).**

* * *

Ratchet watched in awe as the great towers of Blaster City crumbled, leaving nothing standing. He hugged his servos to his side plating. It was his fault, and he knew it. It was because of him that Pharma's little sister, Wolfsbane, was deactivated.

* * *

_"Pharma, wait up!" called the lavender little femme as she raced after her big brother. "I'm coming too. This will be my first battle!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm._

_"I know, sis. Just remember-"_

_"I know, I know: no risks. I have to stay on the sidelines. Gotcha!"_

_Pharma rolled his optics as he followed his sister onto the field. It was chaos, everyone fighting everyone. Luckily, Pharma's job was to heal, not injure. He immediately set to work, and felt glad that his sister had his back._

_They worked like this for quite some time; Pharma locating and repairing, Wolfsbane guarding and following. Until the Seekers arrived._

_Starscream's armada hit with full force, driving the Autobot forces back. One 'Con in particular, an orange and white Seeker, dove for Wolfsbane._

_Pharma did his best to protect her, even if it meant throwing himself before the attacker, but he was too late. His little sister let out a strangled cry, then went offline, the blade buried in her spark. At least the killer had made it quick._

_What really amazed Pharma, however, was who it was. It was none other than his sparkling-hood friend, Ratchet._

_"R-Ratchet? How could you?" he choked out as he watched his former friend with horror. Ratchet turned toward him, his optics flashing from green to red._

_"W-What?" he stuttered as he gazed dazedly at Wolfsbane's limp frame. Pharma clenched his denta as the reality sank in. "You…Killed…Her…" he ground out, causing Ratchet to look up at him, optics glinting with guilt and fear._

_Pharma lunged at the Decepticon, his rage and sense of betrayal egging him on. Unfortunately, the Autobots called a retreat, and Pharma was forced to leave his new nemesis behind._

* * *

Ratchet growled and balled his servo into a fist. He blamed himself, and his inability to control his aggressive nature. He had let the green optics take hold, something that Starscream and Flatline praised him for, but something that he himself scorned.

Would he ever make it right with his long-time friend? He sure hoped so.


	5. Hero

**Here's another chapter for you guys!**

**I only own my OC's.**

**The chapter was inspired by Skillet's song, Hero.**

* * *

"How _could_ you?" exclaimed Ratchet as he stared, awestruck, at his creators; gunmetal gray frames on the floor of the Decepticon Base.

Flatline rose to his pedes and approached his elder brother with practiced ease. "Like this," he whispered before lunging at his fellow Seeker's neck cables.

Ratchet jerked back, causing his brother to stumble forward, but he caught himself. "They were our _creators!"_ he cried to his brother. Flatline looked at him as if he were crazy. "It's survival of the fittest, Ratchet. I had to get to the top somehow. This was the quickest way. I couldn't just _wait_ for them to permanently offline."

"Now listen here, Brother," began Flatline, "I will allow you to remain functional, if-" he held up a digit, "you vow on your spark not to tell anyone - bot or con - about this. And if a threat on your spark doesn't stop you, how about everyone else you care about? I can think of a lot of Autobots that can 'accidentally' be deactivated in the field. Let's see…Magnus, Wheeljack, Perceptor - _ooh,_ how about _Firestar?"_ he suggested with a malicious smirk.

Ratchet stiffened. "Don't you dare harm a fleck of paint on her frame," he growled darkly, optics flashing a faint green. Flatline smiled, denta shining in the dim light. "Then keep the promise, and she'll be fine."

"…Very well."

* * *

"It is with deep regret in my spark, that I announce the passing of two loyal Decepticon officers, Firewall and Haywire. They were revered throughout the Decepticon ranks, and will be forever remembered. But, as is protocol, I must appoint new officers to take their places. Starscream and Flatline, you will be my new armada commanders. Congratulations."

Somehow, the last word, "congratulations", seemed to _actually_ say, "don't mess it up". Ratchet sighed as he left the announcement hall and headed to his quarters, but a servo on his shoulder pad halted him.

"What's wrong, Cuz?" came Backbeat's voice. Ratchet turned around and looked her in the optics. "What do you mean, 'Beat?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, spare me the lies, Ratch'," she said. "Something's bothering you."

"You bet it is…I know who deactivated my creators," Ratchet burst out, unable to hold it. He glanced up at Backbeat to see her mouth hanging open, optics wide with surprise.

"…_What?"_

Ratchet grimaced; the yell was right in his audio receptor. "It was…Flatline," he said quietly.

"Why would 'Line do such a thing?" Backbeat asked skeptically, but Ratchet was ready for that question.

"He wanted to rise to the top, and he's almost reached his goal."

* * *

"We're leaving. Now."

Ratchet trailed Backbeat as she rushed around her quarters, grabbing trinkets and shoving them in her subspace. Finally, she was ready.

"Let's go."

Ratchet reluctantly followed her as she transformed, then flew away.

"You hear that?"

"Oh yeah."

"Seekers."

"A whole armada."

Backbeat flipped around and gasped when she realized that it was her cousin who was chasing them, shooting blasts at their wings, trying to ground them. "Fly, _fly!"_

If you enjoy high speed chases, you would have loved to see this one. Backbeat and Ratchet swerved through metal spires and towers, doing their best to lose the Decepticons. Finally, they transformed and fled by pede. Snapping out speed masks and skates, they sped ahead of their pursuers.

"'Beat, we're on Autobot grounds."

"I know."

"But…there's a patrol up ahead!"

"I know."

"Halt! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Backbeat and Ratchet disengaged their speed enhancers and slid to a stop at the pedes of none other than…Ultra Magnus, who stared at them with disbelief and relief.


	6. Powerless

**This is a super short chapter, but I just had to write it (I'm so bored! I'm going to watch Transformers 1 either tonight or tomorrow, we finally got it from Netflix, *squee*)!**

**The title is inspired by Linkin Park's song, Powerless.**

**I only own my OC's.**

* * *

_"It's useless."_

_"Survival of the fittest, brother."_

_"We do what we must."_

_"We do what we must." What a joke,_ Ratchet thought as he received the tour of the Autobot Base from his old friend, Perceptor. He pondered his brother's words, not really paying attention as Perceptor explained everything. At least, not until he received a wrench to the helm.

"Hey! Rookie! I'd advise paying attention when someone speaks to you!" came a voice. Ratchet rubbed the back of his helm and turned toward the bot who had spoken, Ambulon, the CMO. "Sorry," he muttered. Ambulon nodded, then resumed his work.

"As I was saying," Perceptor continued, "this is…" Again, Ratchet zoned out, but made sure he at least _looked_ like he was paying attention this time.

Why would he do such a thing? However much of a twisted character Flatline may be, he despised seeing his family hurt. There was simply no explanation for it.

Finally Ratchet reached his quarters, thanked Perceptor for the tour, and collapsed on his berth. He shoved his faceplate in his servos and curled up into a ball, soon falling into power down.

* * *

**I could not stop laughing when I wrote the part where Ambulon smacked Ratchet with the wrench! XD I guess we know where he got that little quirk. =]**


	7. Author's Note

**Okay, I know I'm not supposed to put author's notes on a single chapter, but I need to tell you this info: I'm rewriting this story. Originally I had planned on doing four books: Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus, Backbeat, and Ratchet. I've decided that instead, I will be doing one big book (or maybe two or three XD). Anyways, this book will be called the ****Chronicles of**** Cybertron. I already have the first chapter done, and will be posting it right after this. The book will have the same plotline as this one, but will be better organized and easier to follow. I apologize to anyone who liked this story, but I really do think you'll like the other one even more. ^^**


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